Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Fearing Mediocrity More Than Failure

I have been hanging on this mantra for some time now as I look to push for excellent programming and best practices at my school. I have been reading other blogs about the importance of failure http://esheninger.blogspot.com/2010/12/failing-to-fail.html and the fears that administrators have for their kids http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/1526 , and I realize that so many of us are wandering around in the same woods. It isn't about being lost, but it is about looking for the shortest path. It is about taking a bearing, trusting the bearing, and attacking full steam ahead. It feels good to be have company in the woods. This seat can be a lonely place, and the voices of others keep the loneliness at bay.

Below is an excerpt from George Couros' blog link above. What a great list to drive our thinking forward.As I thought about the “traditional” list of fears that have popped up as we progress, they were not driving me at all. I sat back and thought about what “fear” drives me. Here they are:

Fear of students learning “compliance” instead of just “learning”.Fear of students asking why they have no grade on their report card because they don’t know how they are doing.Fear a student asks “why are there no awards” because I have not taken the time to show them I value them every chance I get.Fear that we teach our students that rewards should drive their learning, not their passion.Fear that we prepare our students to be good at school, instead of being good at life.Fear of the world changing around our schools, while we stay the same.Fear that students will NOT ask powerful questions.Fear that students will not see themselves as artists.Fear that students will not have the opportunity to create and collaborate.Fear that we are not giving students opportunities to lead within our school.Fear that we do not focus on the importance of connections and relationships.Fear that our students and staff are not having fun.Those are some of the fears that drive me. I am blessed that I have the opportunity to work with a community that puts my mind to rest

1 comment:

Concerning failure, one of my favorite motivators (Bob Richards) said that nearly all the great champions he's studied had a high FQ (Failure Quotient). He believes they would not have achieved greatness had they not failed often...or big.